Italian Cardinal Tettamanzi dead at 83

August 07, 2017

Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the retired Archbishop of Milan, died on August 5 at the age of 83.

Ordained to the priesthood in Milan in 1957, the future cardinal was a seminary instructor in the 1960s. He was named Archbishop of Ancona-Osimo in 1989, then was appointed Archbishop of Genoa in 1995 and finally became Archbishop of Milan in 2002. He served in that post until his retirement in 2011 at the age of 77.

Cardinal Tettamanzi, who received his red hat from St. John Paul II in February 1998, was seen for years as a potential successor to the Polish Pontiff. Pope Francis, in praising the deceased prelate, said that he “always distinguished himself as a caring pastor, totally dedicated to the needs and well-being” of his flock.

With the death of Cardinal Tettamanzi there are now 223 living members of the College of Cardinals, of whom 121 are eligible to vote in a papal conclave.

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